MLB Betting – Playoff Contenders Final Week

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Created: Wednesday, 30 September 2015 19:19

We are down to the final week of the MLB Baseball betting season, and while all five teams in the National League have already clinched their playoff berth, there is still much to be decided in the American League. The Royals and Blue Jays have already clinched their divisions, and the Yankees have virtually knotted up their top Wild Card spot.

But the AL West Division is still up for grabs, and the Rangers, Angels, and Astros are all battling for the two remaining postseason slots.

Technically, Minnesota and Cleveland are still alive for the AL Wild Card hunt, but even if either one of those teams won the rest of their games, they would still need a ton of help to earn that final spot.

As it stands, we’re down to a three-team race in the AL West with the Rangers holding a two-game edge over the Angels, and 2.5 games ahead of Houston. Los Angeles has caught fire at the last possible moment to reinsert themselves into this race, winning seven straight entering Wednesday night. LA controls their own destiny as they finish the year with four games against the Rangers played in Texas, which will undoubtedly have a big impact on which teams come out of the AL West.

That Rangers vs. Angels series is great news for Houston, as that means one of those two teams will be losing the final weekend and the Astros can gain ground on somebody if they win. Houston plays at Seattle Wednesday night, and then finishes the year with a three-game series at Arizona.

Expect the online sportsbooks to list Houston as heavy favorites this weekend with the obvious motivational factors in play, and remember that MLB bettors tend to back teams that “must” win.

It’s interesting to note that while Texas is a +300 choice to win the AL Pennant, Houston is +750 while the Angels – who are ahead of the Astros in the standings – are +900. Perhaps this has to do with the sportsbooks catching up late to LA’s winning streak, or maybe it’s the fact that Texas will be heavily favored in their weekend series with LA.

Quick note on the NL future odds – the Cardinals are favored to come out of the National League with +180 odds, followed by the Dodgers and Mets who are both listed at +225. Pittsburgh is +480 while Chicago is +500, and the Pirates and Cubs will meet in the NL Wild Card matchup next week.

We’ll be back next week to preview the MLB Postseason series from a baseball betting perspective.